Handling device



Amin 2, 19.46, D. M. mm1

` HANDLING DVICE Filed Dec. 15, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dudley M Lcmtz prl2, 3946.

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D M. LQNTZ HANDLNG DEVICE Filed Deo. 13, 1944 2 Shees-Smei 2 l Dudley MLvnmz 'MMMf/Mm Patented Apr. 2, 1946 UNITED STATES VPATENT f OFFICE j!Dudley M. Lontz, Georgetown,v Conn.

Application December 13, 1944, Serial No. 568,027

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370O'. G. 757') 6 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon. y

This invention relates to a device for picking up or depositing articlesin conned spaces where the gripping and releasing of the object must beautomatically brought about.

The invention is exemplied in a vdevice more particularly designed andintended for the purpose of removing projectiles from Within largemortars and lowering projectiles into the tubes of such mortars. Whilethe invention thus finds a useful application in the field of militarysupplies, it is to be understood that it is not to behlimited theretobut is applicable to the handling of other objects, especially undercomparable' circumstances.

While projectile handling devices embodying the invention can be madefor use with mortars of any caliber, the particular device hereinafterdescribed in detail is designed for use with a inch mortar, theprojectile for which may weigh in the neighborhood of 250 pounds.

It is sometimes necessary to remove from within a mortor a projectilewhich has been loaded into it. For example, an order to cease firing orto change the powder charge may be received after the mortar has beenloaded. According to the present invention a device is provided which isdesigned to be suspended from a single' cable and which, when loweredinto the tube f a mortar, will automatically grip a projectile thereinsothat the projectile can be lifted out therewith.

Conversely, the device can be employed to lower a projectile into thetube of a mortar and to release it automatically when it reaches thebottom. Ordinarily, a projectile can be dropped into the mouth of themortar, its fall being amply cushioned by the compression of air beneathit, but if a gradual lowering of the projectile in thetube is desired,the. device can be used for this purpose also.

The device hereinafter described comprises a housing consisting of twotelescoping parts which move relatively to operate a set of grippersmounted therein.I The two parts are arranged so thatI when the device isresting on the ground or other equivalent support, the lower member actsas a base and the upper member tends to telescope therewith by reason ofits Weight. The cable for lifting the device is attached to the uppermember so that it is the rst part to be raised. The lower member startsto rise when the upper member hasr reached the limit of relativemovement between the members. As hereinafter explained, the function tobe perfumed `by the device, that is, gripping a projectile or releasingit, is determined by regulation of the extent of relative movement ofthe members.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be hadto the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevational View of an embodiment of theinvention.

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are half-views of the same, showing the parts indifferent relative positions.

The device illustrated in the drawings includes a cylindrical housingconsisting of an upper part Iil which slides telescopically in a lowerpart I2. The upper part I0 is provided with an integral top I4 from thecenterfof which a ring or hook I6 projects upward and a fixed shank I8projects downward. The ring I6 is adapted to be secured to a suitablesingle-cable purchase by which the entire device may be raised andlowered.` The shank I8 terminates at its lower end in a cam member 20which has the shape of an inverted saucer. To the inner wall of thehousing Dart I0 is' secured a ring 22. This ring has a bevelled cam face24 which forms an edge 25 with the to-p face of the ring and is situatedslightly above the level ofthe cam member 20 for a purpose hereinafterdescribed.

Vertically slidable on the shank I8 is a collar 30 which has an annularbottom face 32 and an inner inclined or frusto-conical cam face 34. Thiscollar is held in either one of two positions on the shank by abell-crank 36 which is rockably mounted at 38 to a bracket 40 secured tothe inner wall of the housing part II). The horizontal arm 42 of thebell-crank is forked tol embrace half of the collar 30. At the ends offorked arm 42 are lugs or rollers 44 which ride in a circumferential-groove 46 in the collar to control the position of the collar on theshank. The collar and bellcrank constitute control means for the device,as hereinafter explained.

The vertical arm 50 of the bell crank projects up throughr a slot 52 inthe housing top I4 and serves as a manually operable lever for raisingor lowering the collar' 30 from one position to the other. The twopositions of the collar may conveniently be determined by a pair ofnotches 54 and 56 which receive a pawl 58 carried by the lever 50 andoperable in a manner generally employed and well known in the art.

As previously stated, the upper housing part Ill` slides telescopicallywithin the lower part I2, the extent!! of such vmovement Abeing limited,when Apawl 58 is in the notch 56, by a stop element face 32 of thecollar` 30 when the latter is in its lower position with respect to thehousing part I0. The collar thus serves to limit the range oftelescoping movement between the housing parts. When the collar iselevated, however',tl1e\ telescoping movement is limited by thelstop'.In such case, the additional telescoping movement permitted by theelevated position ofL the: collar allows the notches 69 in the grippinglevers tol catch over the edge 25 of the cam ring 22?, thus locking thelevers ifrr the open position. Ther levers can be released: from 'thislocked position by movin-g' the'collar 30 to its lower position. Thetops of the levers are engaged by the camfsurface 34 and movedE inwardtodisengage the notches 69 from the edge 25'-, Each lever G2 is providedat its lower end with a gripping elementor claw'- 'F21 which is adaptedto engagein a corresponding Vrecess in the object to bel handled byl theapp-aratus. In the device illustrated the' clawsv 1'2 arearrangedtoenter a peripheralgroove T4 in'` a projectile T6 near the nose 16thereof. `Fu-rtli-ermore, the bottom rim ofthe lower housing part t2' isturned in and up to- Vforni a iian'ge` 80 adapted 1 to seat against thenose 18 of af projectile when Vthe Aclaws T2 are'- at'the'level of thegroove T41 Each lever 62 projects through a slot 82' in the flange80which limits the inward and outward movements of the claws'l.` Springs84 which' extend from the ange 80` to adjacent points of the' leversten-dto' maintain theilevers'in the closed position in which the clawslare as near to` theaxis of the device as the' slots 82 permit.

To' retrieve' a projectile fromv the barrelof' a mortar, the device istoperated as follows: The

hand-lever is set with the pawl 5'8i`n the inner notch 54, whichmeans'th'at thegcoll'ar is in its l l lower position. The whole device,which issuspended `by the ring I6, is' lowered into the barrel i of themortar in which the yprojectile 1'6 is located. Wlien the claws T2`engage the conical surface of the nose ofthe projectiler they-tend totake the weight of' the lower housing partr [2 andv also to swing thelower parts of. the levers out- 1 ward. This results-iny a. downwardmovement of the upper part i0 relative to the lower part l2', an'd theengagement` of the cam face. 24 on they cam edges 68' helps. to rock'the levers against the l tension of the springs. 8'4 so that the claws.12 can enter the groove TI as illustrated in Figure 2. When the collar3U is in- 1ower.position its bottom surface 32 is engaged by the nose'llof each lever. before the notchfi'l can rise high. enough to catchovertheedgel of. the ringY 22`.. Thus, whenthe upper partY |30. islifted by thering I6", the camr surface 2f moves up 'from the cam edges68, the cam 'member 201 bears-on the edges 'IITy and',J with thesprings84, operates tohold the claws 12 tightly engaged in the groove 14 oftheprojectile as the latter is .lifted with the device. When the projectileis clear' of the mortar,V it is W isshifted to itsv outer position,moving the colscoping movement of the upper part l0 beingy prevented bythe Vstop 60. In this position the claws I2 are spread so that they areclear of the groove 14, and the device can be lifted from the deposited:projectile. The hand lever 50 can now be shifted to its inner positionas shown in Figure 5'. This moves the collar 30 downward and causes thecam. surface 34 to engage the upper portions of the cam edge 68, thusdisengaging the notches 69. from the edge 25 and permitting the lowerhousing part [2 to drop to the relative position shown in Figure 1. Thedevice is now ready toretri'eve another projectile orto be attached toaprojectile for thenext loading. Y

If iltifs desiredto usex the device to lower a projectile into theinterior of a mortar, or other confined' space', the; hand lever 50-`,isset its inward position after having been shifted tosuch position whenthe device was suspended, and theprojectile is gripped as shownn Figure2 and hereinbeforedescribed. When the projectile is lifted, the lever'5Uis shifted outward, and the projectile is then lowered into the.' mortaruntil it reachesl the bottom o-f the barrel.' Y The upper housing part'f then descends further until the claws are' j swung out and lockediasin Figure 4. The devi-ceA can then be raised out of the mortar,leaving thev proj'etile therein.

'It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to theparticular embodiment herein described but may include suchmodifications and' changes asY come within the-scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:`

li. An object-handling device comprising upper and lower parts whichyare relativelyl movable through a limited range, a set of grippinglevers rockably mounted o'n one of said partsand operable .by relative,movement between said. parts. to rock between a gripping position and anopen. or.

releasing position, control means selectively opgageable by the otherpart to rock. sa-id leversby relativemovement between the parts from agripping position to an open or releasing positiom.

a. control. member carried by said other part and movable` from^ aposition in which it acts asa stop to-,limitl relative. movement betweensaid parts to a position. which permitsv additional relative movementand means responsive' to-said additionalrelativev movement to lock saidleversjin the open v position.v

3. An object-handling device comprising upper and-lower parts which arerelatively movable' through a limited. range, a set of gripping. leversrockahly mounted. on the lower partv andv engageable' by the upper partto rockr said levers by relative movement between the parts from agripping position to an open or releasing position, a control membercarried by said upper part and movable relatively thereto from aposition in which it acts as a stop to limit relative movement betweensaid parts to a position which permits additional relative movementbetween the parts, and means responsive to said additional relativemovement to lock said levers in the open position, said control memberincluding means for releasing said levers from their locked position.

4. An object-handling device comprising a housing consisting of upperand lower cylindrical parts in telescoping relation, a set of grippinglevers pivotally mounted within the lower part and rockable between agripping position and an open position, said levers having grippingclaws at their lower ends and cam edges and notches adjacent to theirupper ends, la cam ring within said upper part engageable by said leversto rock the same when said upper part moves downward with respect tosaid lower part, a stop member carried by said upper part and engageableby the upper ends of said levers to stop telescoping movement betweensaid parts before said notches in the levers can catch on said ring, andmeans for elevating said stop member to permit additional telescopingmovement suflicient to cause said notches to catch on said ring tomaintain the levers in open position.

5. An object-handling device comprising a housing consisting of upperand lower telescoping parts, a set of gripping levers pivotally mountedwithin the lower part, said levers having gripping claws at their lowerends and cam edges and notches adjacent to their upper ends, a cam ringw mounted within the upper said part, said ring having a surfaceengageable by cam edges of said levers to rock said levers to their openposition, said ring also having an edge on which said notches may catchto lock the levers in open position, and control means carried by saidupper part, said control means including a collar vertically movablewith respect to said upper part and a hand lever operatively connectedto said collar, said collar having an annular bottom surface engageablewhen in lowered position by the upper ends of the levers to stoptelescoping movement of the parts before the notches catch on said ring,said collar when elevated permitting said notches to catch on said ring,said collar having a cam surface adapted to disengage said notches fromsaid ring when the collar is lowered.

6. An object handling device comprising upper and lower cylindricaltelescoping parts, means on the upper part to receive a hoisting line, aset ofy gripping levers pivotally mounted on the lower part to rockbetween a gripping position and an open position, spring means pressingsaid levers toward their gripping position, cam edges and notchesadjacent to the upper ends of said levers, a cam ring mounted Withinsaid upper part and engageable by said levers during telescopingmovement of said upper part to rock said levers to the open position,said ring having an upper edge upon which said notches may catch to lockthe levers in open position and control means carried by the upper part,said control means comprising a coll-ar vertically movable to upper andlower positions with respect to said upper part and a manual leveroperatively connected with said collar, said collar having a bottomsurface adapted to engage the upper ends of said levers to act as a stopwhen the collar is in its lowered position to prevent said notches fromcatching over the edge of said cam ring, said collar also having a camsurface adapted to engage the upper ends of the locked levers when thecollar is lowered to disengage the notches from said ring.

DUDLEY M. LONTZ.

